A Contrastive Study On Spatial Metaphor"Qian/Hou" In English And Chinese

Metaphor exists everywhere in our daily life; it exists in people's language and mind. Metaphor as an important cognitive method, metaphors both have generalities and individualities in English and Chinese which are the two most popular and frequently-used language. Metaphors can be classified into structural metaphor, spatial metaphor, ontological metaphor, it is divided by famous linguistic Layoff.Scholars in cognitive linguistics filed generally think that spatial metaphor is of important significance for human to form their conceptions.The essay absorb and refer to metaphor study research result of China and foreign countries'former scholars,on the basis of this, the dissertation contrasts and analyses the cognition of spatial metaphor in English and Chinese. Using describe and explain method, combining theory with examples analyses the difference cognition in spatial metaphor in English and Chinese. The diversities and similarities of the space metaphorical cognition of quantity, time, state and relations in English and Chinese on word level. Analyses the reasons and then seek the study value and practice meaning in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.The essay discusses and analyses from five chapters, chapter one introduce the reason for the topic selection, the research content,the research approaches and the research current situation at home and abroad. Chapter two is the basic of this paper, focuses on intension of the spatial metaphors, namely the cognition of spatial metaphor. Chapter three, taking the cognition of spatial metaphor as basic, discussing the intension of spatial metaphor, then analyses the similarities of cognition of spatial metaphor in English and Chinese, mainly through four parts:time quantity, state and relations. Chapter four is the stress of the whole essay, from four parts quantity, Time, state and relations in English and Chinese, analyses the difference of spatial metaphor of the two language. Chapter five is the key part of the essay; it is the meaning of spatial metaphor in English and Chinese, and point out the study value of the paper.